


The Fire Between Ages

by Raspberry_Squirrel



Category: The Lord of the Rings (Movies), The Lord of the Rings - All Media Types, The Lord of the Rings - J. R. R. Tolkien
Genre: Elf love, Eventual Sex, F/M, Friendship/Love, Girl Falls into Middle Earth, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, Legolas/OC - Freeform, Medical problem, Modern Girl in Middle Earth, Multi, Not Mary Sue, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Slow Burn, The Silmarillion References, bear with me, girl turned into elf, legolas/original female charactor, self discovery, shocking backstory, so much future sex, steamy foreplay
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-04
Updated: 2018-07-11
Packaged: 2019-06-05 00:56:12
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,854
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15158903
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Raspberry_Squirrel/pseuds/Raspberry_Squirrel
Summary: Ember spent most of her life wishing for adventure, feeling more at home between the pages of a book than in the real world. Especially "The Lord of The Rings".  Well one fateful night she got her wish, at a cost. Now in Middle Earth, she'll learn secrets of a forgotten past, uncover a horrifying family legacy, and find out that some stories are more than just the words on a page. This isn't going to be your typical girl falling into Middle Earth fic, so buckle up, and prepare for an adventure eight years in the making. Even I don't know how it will end.





	1. An Unexpected Guest, A Long Awaited Journey

My earliest memory is a sad one. I remember the smell of rain, riding a horse as white as an opal with someone, and I was crying… because I was leaving.

 

19 Years Later

 

An average rainy Sunday night in a tiny city apartment. One bedroom, one bathroom, a worn tan couch and a tv. Just about every inch of wall in that tiny city apartment is covered in art. From doodles on post-it notes to colored drawings too nice to be on coffee stained printer paper.

The source of all this work is located at the back of the tiny apartment. By a large window, an old drawing desk, and at this desk is an artist listening intently to her muse.Then the apartment right next door decided to play some music.

 

**_I’m two quarters and a heart down and I don’t want to forget how your voice sounds!!!!!!!_ **

 

“Kyaaa!” She yelped at the sudden noise. She had been so focused on inking her painting. Now it had a big ugly brown smudge on it.

 

**_These words are all I have so I'll write them!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!_ **

 

She huffed in annoyance at the wall to her right. _Not again._ The artist thought to herself. She uncrossed her legs and got up off the chair to get a pair of earplugs. Only to fall over from the pins and needles. Yup, typical Sunday night at, _what time is it?_ She craned her neck to look at the clock on the nightstand, squinting her eyes to see the numbers. _11:30 it is then…_

 

**_Dance dance, we’re falling apart to half time!!!!!!!!!!!!!_ **

 

 _As much as I love Fall Out Boy I wish he would at least turn the freaking volume down._ She wanted to get up but found that lack of sleep made the carpet floor very comfy. She was already in her little red nightgown. Now if only she had some earplugs. She looked up at the painting on the desk beside her. It was of a elf showing a human boy how to hold a bow. It _was_ one of her best pieces. Now the elf looked like he had mud on his face and silver hair. The artist closed her eyes and groaned. $300 down the drain, one less piece for Dragoncon. Someone pounded on the door. She groaned even louder shouting “one minute!” over the music and got up. _At least I can feel my legs now._

She opened the door to a smug faced obvious junkie, wearing torn jeans, a sweat stained tank top, and had an air of entitlement covering him from greasy hair to toe.

The artist was, as usual with him, unimpressed.

“Hello Jerry, why are you bothering me?” she asked. More like yelled. The music seemed louder in the hallway.

Jerry’s disgusting smirk grew and he looked down his nose at her. “Hey Ember. I got new speakers and a party at my place. Wanna little fix? Little dan-” She slammed the door before he could finish asking.

Just as Ember started to walk away she could hear him yell “Bitch! You owe me for opening the door in that hot gettup!”.

That. Was. It.

Ember walked to her desk and grabbed the cup of brown paint water before coming back to the door. She knew Jerry would still be there.

She calmly opened the door. Yup. Still there.

 

His face went from tantrum to smug in less than a second. “Hey I knew you would change your mind sweet As- **_Gasp_ ** ! Jerry had been silenced by a splash of paint water to the face. He blinked dumbly at her as she told him sternly “Turn. The. Music. Off.” and then slammed the door in his face for the second time that night. Then, oddly, it was quiet. _Huh, didn’t expect him to listen._

She shrugged it off and put her cup back in its place, and glanced to the clock again. 11:45.

A new painting needed to be started, but the comfy bed was calling her name. _I’m going to bed early tonight. I’ll fix it in the morning._

Ember lit the three candles next to the clock before turning off all the other lights and sitting at the mirrored dresser. She took a mental note to clean it up soon as she started to brush her elbow length black hair. The dresser was covered in sketches, jewelry, various colored pencils, and of course books. She even had a legit dagger there too.

Ember’s thoughts wandered as she looked at her reflection and brushed. Today was like any other day, any other year, just making it since…

 

Her nose scrunched as she yanked at a stubborn knot. But it did not yank the feeling away. Keeping busy with painting and shows, was this living or surviving? She couldn’t remember the last time she really even talked with anybody. The old maintenance man, Mr Tom. seemed to be her only friend, and she’s only said hi a few times in the last month. The empty feeling in her chest grew and reached her eyes. Was this it? Was this how her life was forever going to be? Alone? Just a shell?

A familiar clump formed in her throat as the feeling began to consume her. She looked at her mess of a reflection, and the pile of tears in her brown eyes spilled over.

Most of them slid down to her chin and neck. But one didn’t. One tear fell… onto her beloved copy of The Lord Of The Rings. The tap seemed to echo as the clock turned 12:00.

Then, the room was shrouded in darkness.

 

Ember jumped a little in fright, she had always been a little afraid of the dark. But the thing that really spooked her at the moment was that there was no reason for the candles to have gone out. The window was closed, the ac wasn’t on, and there was no way her breath would have blown them out because they were on the other side of the room. She slowly put her brush down not daring to look back in the mirror fearing that she would see some creature out of an H.P. Lovecraft novel.  As the brush reached the surface of the vanity, her eyes flicked up, and she froze. Because at the very corner of her eye she saw it. The reflection of a tall robed figure. Standing behind her.

Ember had to think quickly. She had set her brush down next to her antique dagger, if she can reach those two inches she’ll have protection. Shaking hands slowly reached for the dagger, and upon grasping it, her unexpected guest spoke.

 

His voice was deep like shadow, and had a kingly command about it, almost like a lions.

“There will be no need for that, Baralineth. I come as a messenger.”  

She still grabbed the dagger. Then quickly turned around and stood. Taking a breath to keep from stuttering she asked

“who are you? And how did you get in here?”

Unexpectedly, he began to glow brightly. His elaborate robes were many dark blues and purples. His face was as pale as moonlight, except for his eyes that were in shadow from his hood. He spoke once more “I am Namo of the Valar. I am here to deliver a message.”

 

Ember was speechless, and dropped her dagger in surprise. One of the Valar?! She must have fallen asleep. She did her best to regain what composure she had, this was only a dream, right?

“y-you have a message?’’ she asked

He dimmed his brightness, and answered “Yes, I have come with the choice to bring you to Arda. It is the wish of Manwe that you return”.

 

What?! Return?! Go to Arda?! What did he mean by return? “I don’t understand” she said with her mind and heart racing.

He gently nodded his head. “You have a role to play in the events to come, and a great destiny ahead of you. Any more of this, I am not permitted to say.”

She nodded without knowing it. He then placed a hand upon her shoulder “you will have three days to consider your decision, then on the night after the third day, if you wish it, I will come for you.” his voice with each word began to sound more far away, then whispers gave way to chirping birds and sunshine.

Ember was awake.

 

The light blinded her through the slit in the curtains. She slowly sat up in bed and wondered. _Did that really happen? Did i speak with one of the Valar? Or was it my overactive imagination?_

She looked around the room in a daze for some scrap of evidence that the events of the other night did happen. But, nothing, nothing was out of place. In a distracted haze she dressed, brushed her teeth, and went out for coffee.

 

As she sat there in the half empty coffee shop Ember stared out the window with her unsipped mocha slowly getting cold. It was just too strange a thing to ignore, yes she’s had weird and fantastical dreams… but not like this. It was impossible. The race of men in that world seemed all but ignored by the Valar … so why would one of them cross worlds to speak with her? And why her? She has no skills other than with a sewing needle and a paint bru _STOP IT!_

She gave her head a thorough shake. _It’s not real!._

But still...she wondered..

Ember sat there… thinking through how her life has been these past few…

She was just getting by...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello and welcome reader to the first chapter of my first fic. I posted the first three chapters to fanfiction.net, but now I am making a move to aoc. from now on I will be posting my fics here. This one in particular is very dear to me. the story has constantly changed and grew ever since I fell in love with Tolkien's works eight years ago. But now I think it's settled enough that I can write it out. feel free to comment, and welcome to The Fire Between Ages.


	2. How Far I'll Go (Moana)

Ember sat in that coffee shop for an hour before she realized she still had to go grocery shopping. She shook her head out of annoyance at herself and proceeded to head to the store that was a block away.

All the while she walked to the store, and then down the cold, food-filled shelves, a cloud scrambled her mind. 

_ It was a dream! Leave it at that! _

_ Maybe it was my… no, i've been good, been taking my medication. It was usually scary stuff that I saw anyway… _

When she got to the registers, the cashier gave her cart an odd look. Ember looked into her cart with a raised eyebrow and groaned; she forgot to actually put the stuff in it. She turned back in embarrassment, and got what she needed. Eggs, milk, strawberry vodka, steak strips, and a salad pack.

When Ember got back to the cashier, she gave a little laugh. “I remembered to pick it up this time.”

The cashier laughed along as she went through the motions of scanning and placing the items in the bags. “oh, I see you got one of the essentials too!” she said while holding the strawberry vodka up. Ember nodded with another snort of laughter and paid for the food.

Walking home past all the little shop windows, she felt in a much better and clearer mood. Every once in awhile she would glance at her reflection smiling, hair bouncing, bags swaying, beautiful elegantly dressed lady…  _ what _ ?! She came to a sudden stop and looked back to the shop window and saw only herself as she was. Jeans, old sweater, messy hair... She looked ahead with perplexed and continued to walk.

_ Maybe I should call my doctor about stronger medication. _

 

When she finally got home, she put away the food.  _ Yep, the good simple life, might as well be a hobbit. _ It's’ true, Ember loved the comforts of home, she can be happy right where she is, no need for silly dreams or offers of adventure. It was only after Ember sat down to paint that she  remembered it was time to take her pills. She gave a huff, then casually walked to her bedroom. After picking the pill bottle up off the dresser something on the ground caught her eye, her stomach dropped, along with the bottle.

 

The dagger was on the floor.

_ Last night... _

_ From when I dropped...oh no... _

She carefully picked up the dagger and looked into the mirror. 

She needed advice from the only person she talked to. She placed the dagger back on the dresser,went out of her apartment, took a left down the hall, and found him.

Mr Tom. 

Mr Tom was a very old janitor that worked in the building since before Ember moved in there. He always seemed full of that good advice that old people had. Maybe he had some answers for her. At the moment he was up on a ladder about to take an old light bulb out.

 

Ember stood there for a minute trying to figure out what to say, but Mr Tom spoke first.

“ I’ve known you long enough to know that something is heavy on your mind” 

She shuffled her feet nervously twirling a lock of hair before answering “I-I’m at a bit of a crossroads, I'm worried about what to believe in, I had this weird dream-” 

 

“Ah ha” he said while unscrewing the bulb “all this fussing, over a dream hmm?”

 

She leaned against a wall and slid down to sit “It didn’t feel like a dream, it felt real, I was told I could go someplace I've always wanted to go”.

 

Mr Tom nodded while looking at the burnt bulb “My dear, life is too short to live your life in worry, The world isn’t in your books and paintings, it’s out there.”

 

She sighed “that’s just the problem, that world is… impossible, I should just forget about that dream.”

 

He screwed in a new light bulb slowly and replied “sometimes you should take a leap of faith. A single dream is more powerful than a thousand realities”.

And with that the light bulb turned on, illuminating the hallway in gold. Ember thought for a moment then got up and started to run back to her room.

 

Mr. Tom called after her “where are you going?’’

 

“To pack!”

“Why?”

 

“ I’m going on an adventure!”

 

When he heard her reply, he smiled, and continued about his work.

 

\----------------------------------------------

She got into her apartment to hurry, there was so much to do! She was so excited she paced as she thought  _ Wait, i have 2 more days to prepare, i need to think. _ She thought back to all those fanfics she read of girls just dropping into Middle Earth unprepared. What luck she had! And being a huge Tolkien fan, she knew a lot of stuff already, even a bit of Sindarin! What Luck! _ But wait, if this is real, I’ll be facing terrible danger, I don’t even know where (or when) i’m going to be dropped off. _

 

_ I’ll just prepare the best i can… _

\------------------------------------------------

The sun was beginning to set on the third day, and Ember had prepared herself the best she could. She had packed the essentials. A hairbrush, as well as some underclothes, both modern and medieval. All self made and of good quality. Ember had also packed as much of her art and sketchbooks as she could.

It was as if she was getting ready to go to one of those week long conventions like she used to... but she wasn’t.

Ember was going to Middle Earth, probably for the rest of her life, and had only packed a bare minimum of what was needed.

 

The Artist sat beside her window, dressed in a simple blue tunic and trousers,staring at the sunset and the tall buildings, listening to the cars go by. There was so much she was going to miss, the holidays, her sewing machine. And music, she loved music. And pizza, all the little luxuries. She had barely slept the past two nights out of excitement, but at the moment. She felt wide awake, and more calm than she had ever been.

 

Ember had said her goodbye to Mr Tom; there really was no one else that might miss her. No family… no other friends... She had used all her humble savings to buy expensive jewelry that she might trade for things. Buried at the bottom of her small suitcase. If this wasn’t going to happen, she will be dirt broke. She had a will written up of what to do with what belongings she was leaving behind. When it all came down to it, she really wasn’t all that sad about leaving.

 

The last rays of light disappeared, and Ember gave a final goodbye to the world that she had grown up in. 

 

She took a deep breath,closed her eyes, and said with sure resolution “I wish to go to Arda”.

 

There was silence as she waited a moment before opening her eyes. But, nothing. She felt like such an idiot. She looked away from the window and nearly jumped out of her skin. 

There was Namo. Ember walked towards him and he held his hand out. In it, was a silver necklace. Ember looked down at it in wonder then back at him “I can't believe this is real, that this is happening, is that for me?”

 

He responded in his lion-like voice “yes, Baralineth… this is the answer if you wish to seek out your family.”

 

“My family?”

 

He said no more, so she took it as a sign that it was time to go. She gave one last look around her room, grabbed her suitcase, and placed her hand in his on top of the necklace.

 

She began to feel weightless, a strange pressure began to form in her chest, getting hotter, and hotter. Then the world went black.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi, thank you readers for the kudos and comments, and welcome to the second chapter and the beginning of Ember's journey. as you can see, the chapter is titled with a song, most of the chapters will have a theme song. I like to listen to music when i do chores, so the songs that match up to scenes like little music videos in my head get to be chapter theme songs. I know, kinda weird. Anyway this fic is going to be stuffed full of Silm references. I would love to hear what you guys think of the fic, and what you think might happen, comments are welcome.   
> See you in Middle Earth


	3. Shatter Me (Lindsey Stirling)

Ember woke with an ache in her bones and a throbbing in her head. Barely able to move, she opened her eyes to see where she was but quickly closed them. The light was painfully blinding. But from what she glimpsed at, she was laying in a wooded area. It was, too much, she could feel the very place breathe. A small bird’s chirp hit her ears like knives. The gentle breeze overwhelmed her with the smells it carried.She felt she was holding something In her right hand, and realized it was the necklace.

Ember went to turn over to get up, but found that every inch of her screamed in protest.

So with no other option at the moment, she laid there, just breathing, fading in and out of consciousness.

 

At some point, a thumping and patting could be felt in the ground, and a horse's neigh found its way to sore ears.

 

Gentle hands held her head up. Then cool water was pressed to her lips which she thankfully drank. All Ember could make of the moment was that someone had found her, and so far they proven not to have any bad intentions.

They were speaking with someone else that was there. The next thing Ember knew was that she being carried.

 

There were bits and pieces finding their way into her troubled slumber, galloping, the heat of the sun,rushing water, then being passed from one set of arms to another. 

 

She woke to the feeling of a hand on her forehead. Her eyes shot open and swiped at the stranger, trying to get away from them. He then spoke with a gentle voice “Lady be still, no harm will come to you here”.

 

She settled her breathing, and looked at him more steadily. He had a pale slightly stern looking face, his eyes were a misty bluish grey that complimented his shadow black hair, and his ears… his ears! They were pointed! She spoke, nearly gasping at the sound of her voice.  “Whe-where is ‘here’ exactly? And who are you?”

 

He smiled “I am Elrond, and you are in Imladris”.

 

She was stunned “Imladris, Rivendell… I’m really here”.

 

He nodded “you were unconscious for about most of the day, and dehydrated. May I ask who _you_ are, and where you hail from?”

 

She both heard and didn’t hear him, her eyes wandered about the lavish room. 

She felt as is if she were hearing, seeing, and feeling for the first time. The very air seemed to whisper, and she discovered that she could zoom in her eyesight and count the very lines in the leaves on a tree far outside the window. She could feel it’s roots growing and taking nutrients from deep in the earth.

Lord Elrond noticed that she seemed distracted. He was about to ask again, when another ellon walked in. He smiled when she turned to look at him. He spoke with friendly voice “ah, she is awake. Are you well my lady?”

 

At first she did nothing but stare. To her, he seemed a bright angelic being with a strong yet youthful face. His robes and tunic were blue with a pale yellow trim, and his hair was a voluminous wavy gold which reached his waist.

The situation was so...surreal. 

She was stunned and scrambled for words. She turned to Lord Elrond, finally finding her voice after a moment. “My name is Ember, but my friend calls me Baralineth… my friend, who is Namo of the Valar.”

 

Both Elrond and the other elf were stunned at this. Ember continued “And I know this sounds crazy, but i’m not from here, from this world. It was Namo who brought me.”

 

Elrond listened to to this with much thought, and the other elf looked at her in wonder.

“Well, being from another world would explain some of the strange items in your bag” The golden haired elf replied.

Ember let out a breath she didn’t realize she had been holding and looked to Lord Elrond “ So you believe me? I know it sounds way out there, but I wouldn’t lie about something this serious…” she looked in her hands then around for something 

”he gave me a necklace, maybe I could show you that as proof?”. 

 

Lord Elrond picked it up off the nightstand next to them and gave it to her “as fantastical as your story may seem, it is not to be unbelieved” he looked at the necklace as she turned it in her hand.    

“That necklace is engraved with the emblem of the valar.” he said.

The gold haired elf stepped forward “it must be of great importance that they sent you here”.

Ember shrugged her shoulders at that “actually he was a bit vague on that part, he said I have a role to play in the events to come, so I suppose I have to figure out what that role is… I didn’t catch your name?”.

 

He smiled and gave a small bow “My apologies, I am Glorfindel of the house of the golden flower. My lady, I must ask, did you come to Arda through the Undying Lands?”

 

She shook her head “I think I was just dropped where you found me. I doubt they would allow a human to go through valinor, even asleep.”

 

They looked at her confused. Elrond put his hand on her shoulder, she turned to him and he said gently “I do not understand what you mean, you are of the elven race”.

 

Ember’s face drained of color, and all the signs started to click together “w-what do you mean” Her hands shook as she brought them up to her ears. Starting with the earlobe her fingers slowly glided up… until they touched points! She gasped and looked wildly about, and scrambled out of bed only to nearly fall from weakness. Glorfindel caught her, and Lord Elrond rushed from the other side of the bed trying to calm her “Ember, Ember be still!” And she did still, but not from his words. He followed her eyes and saw that she had caught her reflection in the mirror, Glorfindel saw this as well.

 

She gaped at it in horror, her face was clear of any blemish or freckle, and much more paler than it had been when she left. Her hair was a full wavy raven blackness that reached nearly to her knees. Eyes that had been a plain brown were now a stormy amber with flecks of cinnamon, gold, and bronze. And the pointy ears… an elf’s trademark feature. It was a beautiful stranger in the mirror, but to Ember it meant one thing. Immortality. 

 

She screamed and tore at her hair and skin all the while they tried to restrain and calm her  “THIS WASN’T MY WISH! THIS WASN’T MY WISH! THEY’VE CURSED ME! THEY’VE DAMNED ME!” She gave a final scream and collapsed in their arms.

…………………………………………

It was a few hours later that she had woken up in bed with Lord Elrond sitting close by once more. The scratches she had given herself on her arms and shoulders had been bandaged. She was calm but numb. It felt like a sick punchline; every wish came with a catch. They talked for a while about her predicament, and what her world was like. She explained that she knew of Arda through fictional stories, and told him that he may share her information with whomever he wished. She knew he was wise and would only share it with a select few. He told her that she was welcome to stay in Rivendell as long as she wanted, and that she would always have a place there.

 

It was late in the night by the time the conversation ended and he left so she could rest.

But try as she might, any tiredness had hit the road. On top of that she was still overwhelmed by everything. She turned on her side clutching the necklace close.

 

Ember thought of everything that had happened so far in her short time there. But the train of thought always drifted back to the endless dark abyss that was her fate.  _ Why didn’t Namo tell me this would happen? _

 

She looked at the necklace he had given her. It was a silver chain from which hung a silver circular pendant. On it were two trees with their branches intertwined, surrounded by a circle of fourteen small blue stones. Between the branches glimmers of more silver could be seen… perhaps more time meant more time to find out about her family? To go over the sea and ask  the valar? But that didn't make any sense, Namo just could’ve told her himself. Or was it one of those self-discovery things?

 

_ I suppose I could take it one day at a time. I came here for adventure and i'm going to get it dammit! But what about later on? What if I get bored? What if I do everything there is to do? What if I go crazy? I wasn’t raised with the idea of living forever! What if I end up outliving every friend I make? Why did the Valar do this to me? What if i’m alone forever? What if I end up roaming until the world crumbles at its end? What if… what if… what if… _

 

What if. Those words haunted her first night in Middle-Earth.

………………………………………………………………………

 

It was late in the morning that Ember decided to get up. The room was filled with soft golden light that glimmered on the wood carved walls that  depicted forest spirits and trees. The few pieces of furniture were no different. At least two thirds of the walls were large windows draped in flowing cream silk.  _ Like a room in heaven. _ She sat up and didn’t feel the need to stretch, and the room didn't spin. In fact, besides her sore senses, she felt the healthiest she’d ever been. 

 

Ember got up and brought one of the sheets over to cover the tall mirror. She didn’t want to deal with that at the moment. Namo had called her something, Baralineth. Was that supposed to have been a hint? New elven name means new elf body! A bit of a poor hint, but maybe… she really wasn’t Ember anymore... The new name might help her adjust. 

She looked around and saw her small suitcase that was by the dresser.  _ Time to unpack and get sorted. _ She unzipped the bag and saw that they must’ve placed everything back exactly how they found them. She placed her necklace on the dresser then put the suitcase on the bed. As she placed her items in sorted piles, it didn't take her long to internally kick herself. 

 

_ How the fuck do I end up picking up my laptop instead of my fucking grey trousers?! And I forgot my fucking dagger!!! Fucking great Ember! You pack to go to a place where you know there is going to be danger and you forget one of the most essential items!!!  _

 

She’d only got half ways through unpacking when a knock (sounded like a sledgehammer to her, but was a normal knock) on the door jolted Ember out of her thoughts. “Come in.”

 

A beautiful elleth in a purple dress opened the door and entered carrying a breakfast tray. She smiled at Ember in greeting “my father told me that you will be staying with us. So I thought breakfast in bed would be a good way to start your stay here. My name is Arwen.”

 

Ember knew who she was before Arwen Evenstar told her. Arwen had her father’s eyes that shone like two grey stars,and hair that was a shadowy black. A fair Elleth that was the very echo of the beautiful Luthien. She matched the description Tolkien had given her perfectly. Ember nodded and smiled from ear to ear at the friendly gesture. “Wow, that’s so nice. Thank you, it’s nice to meet you. And... call me Baralineth, I think it’s supposed to be my new name.”

 

Arwen nodded “Baralineth, it suits you”.  She then put the tray on one of the nightstands and a thought occurred to Baralineth. “Lord Elrond and I talked about many things yesterday, but I forgot to ask what the date was.”

 

“ 18th of september in the year 3018, of the third Age” Arwen answered.

Baralineth thought for a moment while moving some of the stuff on the bed and said to herself   “I’ve arrived near the beginning of the story, how appropriate”. She then cringed at the soft chirp of a bird. Arwen noticed. “ My father, told me much of you. I can only imagine how hard it must be.”

 

She felt a brief twinge at the back of her mind. At least Arwen has a choice. 

“I’m going to try to take it one day at a time. But so far my senses are on overload. At times it’s equivalent to an anxiety attack.” Baralineth explained as she sat on the bed and grabbed a piece of toast. She took a small bite, and smiled “But I don’t want to think about my unending doom at the moment, sit and share the food with me, i’ve always wanted to meet you.”

 

Arwen thought her manner of humor was strange, but also curious, it was always nice to meet new people. She sat and they talked until the food was gone. They talked about elven customs, and songs of old. Baralineth actually ended up learning some new things. Such as when greeting another, to extend a hand from the heart out means wishing a good meeting, or extending love and friendship, or a warm farewell. As they talked Baralineth felt a little nervous and hoped Arwen didn’t notice. People had always seemed to sense the insecurity. But this time was one of the few times it was different. They ate, and they laughed, and they smiled. And for a short while, Baralineth forgot her doom. She felt happy, this is part of why she came. She’d made a friend, the first she’d had in a long time.

……………………………………………………………………

 

After that, Arwen left her to attend other business, promising to show her the gardens the next day. As much as Baralineth wanted to explore on her own she worried about her new elven awareness. So she stayed in her room. Baralineth sat in a cushioned chair looking out the window with open senses, trying to break them in. But only succeeded in what felt like nearly breaking them completely. Her eyes quickly began to water from soreness and she had to close them. Her abused ears felt like they were about to bleed. Her body, down to the cells in her bones felt on the brink of shattering. It was not pain, it was simply too much. Yet she pushed herself, until she was interrupted by an elleth that she hadn’t met yet. “Hello my Lady, my name is Indwen. A bath has been run for you to use before dinner.”

 

She opened her eyes and saw that the sun was near setting.  _ I spent my second day in Middle-Earth sitting and giving myself a headache, can I be any more of a wasteful idiot? _

She put on a happy face though “it’s nice to meet you Indwen .” 

The Elleth showed her to the bathing room which was a short ways down the hall. Indwen spoke as she walked her to there. She had silver white hair and wore simple blue robes with detailed purple embroidery on the large belt. Was it strange to think her voice fit that shade of blue? Light like water but with a very ‘things must be proper’ tone, but not condescending. Baralineth tried to focus on the actual words Indwen was saying though. Indwen introduced herself as the co head of staff, her counterpart’s name was Lindir. Who was as far as could be gathered, a butler of sorts. If Baralineth needed anything she was to ask her, so as to not interrupt the lord of Rivendell. Yes, she definitely had a ‘be proper/polite’ tone to her.

 

Before leaving, Indwen told her to wait a short while before entering the bath as it was far to hot at the moment to sit in. When she was done, Indwen would show her to the dining area. Baralineth thanked her and went inside. When the door was shut, Baralineth admired the room as she undressed. It was hard to tell if the walls and pillars were made from marble or pale wood. There was a large set of shelves with all kinds of bathing soaps and oils. The bath itself was luxuriously large. Big enough for an elephant to lay down in. It was surrounded by four large pillars carved to show butterflies, and large white sheer curtains dropped from the ceiling around them.  __

She turned to the side and saw herself in the wall of mirrors. She sighed and turned around looking at herself. A better version of what was, at too high a cost. But then she saw it. In her hair. A gleam of silver. Baralineth gasped and rushed closer to the mirror digging it out of a sea of black, thinking,  _ could it be _ ? It was. Still attached to her scalp was the only proof that she had once been human and mortal. A strand of silver hair.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi everybody. Wow an unexpected first day and an intro to some lovable familiar characters.


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